Drums – not just an instrument for music

When we hear beating drums in music, we may normally associate it with head banging to the beat or moving our feet to the rhythm. We imagine rockstar drummers on stage pouring their souls out via drumsticks. Music is what comes to mind.

But this specific day, during a workshop part of Femart Festival, drums conveyed a hidden meaning, which was soon to be exposed.

In a course of 4 hours, participants, who had never before seen or touched drums, learned to play drums and follow one another to create a tune. The course trainers, Selena Simić and Tmara Tasić taught the participants how to use the drumsticks to empower themselves and one another as well. These drums were no longer drums, they were no longer just instruments. They were a means of resistance!

Rinesa Ahmeti, one of the participants at this workshop, as well as a volunteer for Femart Festival, said that they learned that drums were also used in riots and protests.

Music is common in these events, and drums hold a special place among them. They make you march as soldiers, they make you stand straight and tall, and they make you chant. The participants used the energy from the drums to project an air of resistance.

The participants banged their drums nonstop from 10 am to 2 pm, with only two or three short breaks in between. They were seperated into groups, with each of them having their own signature style as instructed by the trainers. The groups had to follow a pattern, and try to listen to one another to produce a common tune. This was one of the most significant parts of the whole workshop. It wasn’t just about resistance anymore. It was about finding that unity among one another. The saying “There is strength in unity” resonated throughout the theatre hall that day.

So the next time you feel less powerful or not motivated enough, pick up two drumsticks (or wooden spoons, they work just the same if you don’t own a drum set) and start banging your way to empowerment!